Good news on tax day:

I just started I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez and I am blown away. I’ve read a lot of good books lately, and while I’ve raved about some of them, this one is in a category all of its own.

What I love most is the voice. It’s funny, sad, bittersweet, curious and self-consciously tough, all of the things that a teenage girl feels, especially a Mexican teenage age girl who doesn’t fit the mold, doesn’t get along with her parents (both illegal immigrants) and has recently lost her “perfect” sister to a freak accident.

I’m only on the fourth chapter but can already tell that this is going to be one of those books that I read fast, because I can’t stop myself from soaking it all up as quickly as I can, and then go back and reread in order to savor.

Here’s an example. Julia, the main character and narrator (think a Mexican female Holden Caulfield with more heart, more insight and a more lyrical voice and you kind of get the vibe) describes herself this way: “I’m chubby, short, and dark, like Apa. I’m not, like, super-fat or anything, but I have thick legs and my stomach is definitely not flat. Oh, and my boobs are much too big for my body–two pendulous burdens I’ve been lugging around since I was thirteen.”

OMG, doesn’t that perfectly capture the voice and thoughts of a teenage girl?

I highly recommend I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter and I’d rave about it more except for the fact that I have to get back to filing my taxes. As always, I’ve waited until the last minute, you see, because I’ve been too busy writing, reading and running. My mind is a fuddled mess of numbers and the sad, sad reality of my too-meager income, so please, excuse any and all typos and grammar errors. For these, I totally and completely blame the IRS.